Cons

Key Features

14.1in, 1600 x 900 screen

Soft-touch finish, Backlit keyboard

Up to quad-core i7 CPU, up to 8GB of RAM

Nvidia GeForce GT 555M dedicated graphics

Up to 256GB SSD

Manufacturer: Dell

Review Price: £1,438.67

Who said gaming laptops couldn't come in small(er) packages? Since taking over the Alienware brand, Dell has given us beauties like the M11x, which managed to stuff enough power to play most games (albeit with some compromises) in an 11.6in chassis. Today we're looking at a somewhat larger machine, the Alienware M14x.

Being a bigger machine it can really pack in the goodies, so here are the highlights. Our review sample has the HD version of its 14.1in screen, giving it a very nice resolution of 1,600 x 900 pixels (higher than the usual 1,366 x 768 that's common even on far larger screens). There's a fully backlit keyboard and more connections than you can shake a stick at on the outside, while beneath the hood we have a quad-core Core i7 processor, 256GB SSD, 8GB of RAM and GeForce GT 550M graphics.

So a decent little setup, then. However, one of the things that has always stood out most about Alienware's laptops is their design, and the M14x is no different. Though at 38mm tall and weighing 2.9kg, it's a noticeably chunky machine, it nevertheless manages to look sleek and luxurious. The stealth bomber-esque sharp angles give it a desirable aggressive stance while the soft-touch black is as cool as a winter's night. If, on the other hand, you want more of a flashy Ferrari vibe, there's a "Nebula" red version as well. And neither of those comparisons are as far-fetched as for many laptops,
with the grills at the M14x's front especially giving the impression
that there's an engine in there waiting to fire up.

The second element to Alienware's pleasingly different designs is lighting. For gamers who like to get their LED bling on, there is no better range of mobile machines. The chromed alien heads on both the lid and above the keyboard light up, as does the keyboard, the touchpad's border, the Alienware logo in the screen's lower bezel, and those engine grills at the front. Better yet, if that's a little too flash for you, you can disable all the light zones (except the one outlining the touchpad). But really, when you can make them any colour of the rainbow at the click of a mouse, why would you want to?

Alienware's light control is one of the most refined and versatile systems on any bit of PC kit. Using the AlienFX software, which can be accessed through a handy keyboard shortcut, you can easily adjust individual light settings for each of the aforementioned zones – and that includes four individual zones on the keyboard alone! Not only can you change the colours on the fly between 19 different choices, but you can set them to pulse or morph between two different colours too, which can make for a really nice effect if you pick neighbouring shades.

So yes, this laptop can do double duty as a disco ball, and you can make it look as garish or elegant as you like. You can even set different light profiles for various games or apps, or switch between them whenever you like. It's a really awesome way to let you customize your machine without needing to get paint or modding tools out, and helps to set Alienware's gaming laptops above the competition.

Behnam

August 13, 2011, 2:28 am

I don't understand how TR can reccommend this laptop or any alienware/dell laptop for that matter, 8 out of 10 people on forums i've visited complain about alienware. I hear horror stories of the laptop running so hot that it's internals melt or partially melt, besides that also hear about how horrible the customer service is.Ofcourse what i read about alienware/dell is not a fact but still when i read so many people warn potential buyers to avoid alienware/dell laptops, then i think there is perhaps some truth in what they are saying.

Torrence

August 16, 2011, 8:51 pm

I'll agree that there is the occational inevitable "lemon" coming out of any manufacturer, a lot of the things you will read regarding "Alienware Sux" are written by folks who know very little about computers and fancy themselves gurus. I am an owner of an M15x, and it handles everything and anything I throw at it without even blinking. It's the strongest laptop I have ever owned, and there is literally nothing else out there like it.

Looks like that still holds true, since the m14x refresh seems to have gone down some as far as available hardware. I got mine just before they discontinued the line and put the 5850 in it - it's truly a gaming beast that goes with you anywhere.

Looking at the designs of other laptops such as the RoG line from Asus and some Sager notebooks - none of them have the flash and the warranty options, and they all cost just the same. You want to talk about horrible customer experiences, go check out Newegg reviews and look at some of the horror stories from people trying to get service out of Asus for their RoG line.

I had one issue with my m15x, and it wasn't even really an issue per se. I reloaded windows (because I like a fresh copy), and the CD didn't come with the software to watch BluRay movies. I called up customer service, gave the tech my info, he logged into my laptop and verified the hardware, and in 10 minutes a digital copy of the software was uploaded to it and I was back to playing with my new machine.

In short, you have to consider the source when reading things on forums, especially the ones that have little to no moderation. Any 12 year old with an opinion can voice it, and it doesn't even have to be objective.

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